![Sample our Politics & International Relations journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5947/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Politics-International-Relations.jpg"})
Abstract
There is a dearth of literature that focuses on women leaders' values. This article aims at making a contribution to this under-researched area from a South African perspective. Using a sample of respondents from different elite sectors in South Africa, it first analyses the difference in values between men and women in the sample. It then disaggregates the data to single out South African women parliamentarians, to see if their values differ from the rest of the sample. The article compares the values and attitudes of women and men elites on the following issues: values around certain moral issues, a set of questions on gender equality and a set of questions on confidence in different important institutions, and finally, how men and women elites rank different challenges facing Africa. Our findings highlight the difference between the values and attitudes of men and women elites in South Africa, but also between men and women parliamentarians.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Stefanie Schulein for her help with the data analysis and the typing of the tables.
Notes
1. See, for example, Fick et al. Citation(2002), Gouws Citation(2004), International IDEA Citation(1998/2005).
2. See Inglehart (Citation1977, Citation1990, Citation1997).
3. See also Siemienska (Citation1999a, Citation1999b).
4. Some years ago the literature on elites was characterized by a fierce debate on the merits of the various criteria for the selection of elites. However, these days the ‘positional approach’ to the selection of elites is widely regarded as one of the best methods; see Hoffman-Lange (Citation1987, p. 30).
5. All the t-tests are significant at the 0.05 level except for the item ‘that Nepad will contribute to women's equality’.